Why NASCAR penalized Bubba Wallace after Atlanta race finish

Bubba Wallace went from a top-three finish to the tail end of the lead lap on July 13 at the NASCAR Atlanta race.

Wallace was penalized postrace of the Quaker State 400. Wallace was running third on the last lap behind Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar when he zoomed to the inside of Hocevar but went below the yellow line. He came back above the line and was three wide with Hocevar and Ryan Blaney. Wallace finished second in real time before he was penalized by NASCAR for advancing his position by going below the yellow line. He finished 29th.

Wallace disputed after the race if he actually gained position when he went below the yellow line. He said he was on his brakes to not advance position.

Blaney went on to win the Quaker State 400, his second NASCAR Cup Series win of the year. Christopher Bell was second and Hocevar was third.

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The wild finish came after a more than three-hour rain delay that led to the race finishing just before 1 a.m. CT.

Wallace is now 13th in points, 298 behind NASCAR Cup Series leader Denny Hamlin, Wallace’s 23XI Racing co-owner.

Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on the X platform @Kreager.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why NASCAR penalized Bubba Wallace after Atlanta race finish